If you look at the first person shooter gene pool, you'll see that is largely dominated by two entities, Call of Duty and Battlefield. However there is always a section that deserves more attention than it actually receives. These developers are trying to evolve the genre, try something new and give a unique experience to the end user that ultimately supports them.We were given an opportunity to interview one of these pioneers, Kim Haar Jørgensen is the game director of Interstellar Marines which is a community funded triple 'A' indie title from the humble bunkers of Zero Point Software. Read on to gain an insight to what goes on in the mind of a developer striving to push the fps genre into a new direction

GameOn: I love the idea of bringing in the community. Are you going to allow your users to create content within this title, are you going to give them an SDK pack like Steam does or a map pack and go ‘Here you go guys – go design your own maps’ or anything like that?

Kim: I’m afraid not at the beginning. We acknowledge that in order to get the modding capabilities up in terms of supplying the modules and getting access to the code, we don’t have that capacity yet. So it’s something that maybe possible in the future but right now it’s just going to be an overhead in terms of work instead of just nailing the things that we believe need to be in there and then who knows where the modding features will go in the future.

GameOn: What games are you guys playing most at Zero Point, do you guys have a room where you chill out during the day, do you play a bit of Call of Duty, play a bit of Halo, do you fire up the old Deus Ex or System Shock?

Kim: Actually, it’s a really interesting question. The type of games we play the most is obviously first person shooters that have co-op so we have 4 machines playing all the Raven Shields, Vegas 1 and 2 and Ghost Recon. Nicolai and I are still playing System Shock 2 from time to time. I think the last time we played it was still on XP but it was 1 or 2 years ago and I think we have been through it in co-op 6 or 8 times or something, so that’s a fantastic game that will never loose its value. But then for us it’s just about playing every first person shooter out there and in terms of multiplayer I guess I would have to say that Modern Warfare 2 is one game we play the most during lunch times to be honest.

GameOn: Your not Team Fortress 2 fans?

Kim: No actually. We were once, in the old Quake days where you had the first Team Fortress mod come out – that was pretty cool. I haven’t played that much since. Give me a realistic science fiction then I’m in but nothing wrong with the style and the play – it’s great.

GameOn: Do you guys play anything else apart from FPS’s, adventure games, point and clicks, casual gaming perhaps?

Kim: Yes, a bit. I have just myself finished Metal Gear Solid 4 on the PS3, a long game, I haven’t had the time over a period to play that so I finally got through that game. Got to play every first person shooter that’s for sure.

GameOn: So apart from a bit of down time gaming what else do you guys do to relax? Have you got any hobbies, or got any crazy hobbies in the office?

Kim: No, it’s about creating, talking and developing this game, that’s about it and when we get home it’s just trying to relax and see who can get the ideas for the game out of our heads. For me it’s impossible, it’s the last thing I think about before I go to bed and it’s the first thing I think about when I wake up. It’s Interstellar Marines, but that’s how it’s got to be until it’s out and we can all play it.

GameOn: You have actually brought me on to one of my best questions, have you ever had a dream related to the game?

Kim: Ohh – a lot of times. To be very specific, one of the first levels, you are inside a mountain, you are playing with a friend. There’s this moment where one of the drop ships, it’s actually in the trailer, explodes and I’ve had this dream of waking up inside the cockpit and sitting and experiencing that explosion. I know in my mind that the players playing the game at that point will be locked up in a secret underground facility inside a legal front weapons facility on Mars but when that drop shop explodes, I’ve sat there dying with Sergeant Berry a lot of times. That’s a dream that’s haunting me.

GameOn: Cigarette and coffee, a man after my own heart there, a man after my own heart.

Kim: It’s a long journey along but I guarantee you once you play this game it’s going to give you the best 4 - 8 hours of your life with a friend. That’s a promise if you are in to science fiction first person shooters.

GameOn: I think a lot of people will be sold on the co-op style, I just want to thank you for your time this evening Kim to come and have a quick chat with us at GameOn, tell us a bit more about the game and get to know you guys a bit more. From what I’ve seen from Interstellar Marines on the trailers and some of the concept art, it’s looking really, really good.

And there we have it, an insight into these pioneering developers, if you feel like actually pre-purchasing the game or even just supporting them then head to www.interstellarmarines.com where you may opt into one of three supporter packages which we wholeheartedly feel is a worthwhile investment.

Additionally you may play their demonstrations right in your web browser thanks to the Unity engine they are utilising, so do go and click on the Bullseye, Running Man and look through the eye candy held within The Vault.

This is only the beginning of GameOn's coverage of this ground breaking FPS title, stay tuned as we have vidoe insights coming based upon both the Bullseye and Running Man demo's.